Chateau Puygueraud

Château Puygueraud is a Bordeaux estate in the small Côtes de Bordeaux Francs appellation. It makes Merlot-dominant blends with Cabernet Franc and Malbec. Puygueraud is one of several Bordeaux estates owned by notable enologist and wine consultant Nicolas Thienpont.

The Puygueraud property was bought by Thienpont's father George in 1946. Its vineyards had been destroyed during World War II, so cereal crops replaced the vines for several decades. In the late 1970s, the soil had recovered and vines were planted again, producing their first vintage in 1983. The estate covers 35 hectares (86 acres) at 384 feet above sea level – one of the highest elevations on the Right Bank of Bordeaux. In 2005 all of its Cabernet Sauvignon was replaced with Cabernet Franc which now takes up a quarter of the vineyard, the majority of which is given to Merlot.

The second wine, Château Lauriol, is made from younger vines and – in specific vintages – another wine, Cuvée George, is made. Honoring George Theinpont, this wine is more than a third Malbec, a high proportion compared to the other wines of the region and fetches prices higher than that of the château's grand vin. In 2013, Puygueraud started making barrel-fermented Bordeaux blanc from an almost equal blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Gris.